The boy with the gun

Based on his research and the charge sheet filed against Qasab, the book, insists the author, is not just about the jihadi, but the terror mechanism in Pakistan working at destroying peace and stability in our country.

Excerpts from interview:

• Besides the kind of media coverage 26/11 has received, there is no dearth of published material on Qasab either. Why the book?

It's correct that post 26/11 there was a deluge of information on various domains which was followed by over half a dozen books on the shelves. Nonetheless, I would not like to describe my book as a typical 26/11 account. Covering the event was part of my regular job. But I was curious about the sequence of events on the other side, in Pakistan, from where the 10 fidayeen terrorists hailed.

Most of us who are well read on terrorism related issues know about outfits like the Lashkar and people behind it. It is also public knowledge that state-owned agencies have always morally and materially supported their cause, but do we know about the ground realities?

Do we know how an average Pakistani is drawn into terrorism and how he or she is indoctrinated to such an extent that he becomes a hardcore jihadi? Since Qasab was the sole surviving jihadi whose testimony went into most of the published material, I started charting his course from his home town to the city, to Laskhar's public outfits to be inducted into the inner circles and finally made a part of the main team of 26/11.

The other thing which constantly played on my mind was the pain endured by the victims and their families during and after the attacks. I strongly feel that no amount of journalistic reporting would be able to bring out the actual trauma they suffered. So, in the second part when the story moves with Qasab unleashing terror in Mumbai, I have tried to bring out the plight of the victims.

• You have based your work on inputs provided by your journalist friends and newspaper reports, besides his confession and the charge sheet. Do you think that for a subject like this it would have made a difference if you had travelled to Pakistan for your research or met your subject?

Well, it always helps if you actually visit a place to get a first hand feel of things. It's like reading a film review and watching one. Having said that, I would like to point out that a lot of places on the Indian side of Punjab I visited on several occasions have a lot in common with its Pakistani counterpart. Especially places like Okara and Lahore.

Like, the historic cities of Amritsar and Lahore or Pattoki in Pakistan and Panjeke in India, the border cities and towns have a lot in common: Language, culture, festivals, rituals, food, clothing are quite similar.

But yes, I agree that travelling to Pakistan would have added more weight to the account.

• How did you approach some of the contentious parts- e.g. the role of senior officers in handling the situation and the circumstances leading to Karkare's death? What kind of inputs did you rely on?

I have almost entirely relied on data available in the public domain for the entire book. As you have said in your earlier question, I have based my work on inputs provided by your associates, newspaper reports, Qasab's confession, the charge sheet and my own reporting.

In that respect I have stuck to being strictly objective. So, at no point did I evolve a disputatious argument. All the situations, including the role of senior police officers and the unfortunate killings of illustrious officers were detailed as per what is popularly known.

• Putting this book together meant you had to get under the skin of the terrorist. How do you respond to his outrageous statements in court?

I think the public prosecutor had best described him, he is an ace actor. Qasab is taking a cue from his training. As much as they are impatient to sacrifice their lives and attain paradise, a jihadi on a crucial mission is not supposed to be caught alive, definitely not on such a key mission.

Rommel Rodrigues

But having been caught alive and knowing that the law provides equal opportunity for the accused, Qasab in my opinion is trying as hard as possible to sound funny or outrageous as you may call it, in order to divert attention or prolong the trial. It's nothing but a ploy.

• Headley seemed conspicuous by his absence in your book. Given that he played such a significant part in the planning of the terror campaign, was the omission by design or default?

There is a brief mention of Headley in the book, he is not totally absent. But yes, I have not illustrated his part the way that has been reported in the media. There are two explanations here. First, as I said earlier, my research was entirely objective.

Headley was no were in the picture in the early period when the Qasab trial was on, nor did his name crop up in the investigation or the synopsis of the charge sheet. Second, Headley does not even figure in the trial courts judgment. He is incarcerated in US and the US authorities are only giving out sketchy details.